RHESUS: MYTH AND ICONOGRAPHY*
Vayos Liapis
The Trojan cycle includes a small number of exceptionally valiant war- riors, notably Penthesileia, Memnon, and Eurypylus, who exemplify a distinct narrative pattern: they join the war at a late stage, they perform 2ριστε1α, and they invariably die in action. Rhesus complies with the pat- tern qua latecomer and, reputedly, a formidable warrior; but he is other- wise a special case in that he gets killed in his sleep without ever having an opportunity to show his prowess on the battlefield.1 This, at least, is the case in what are for us the two major configurations of the Rhesus myth, namely Iliad (the Doloneia)andthetragedyofRhesus, tradi- tionally attributed to Euripides. However, late sources (mainly Homeric scholia) afford us glimpses into alternative versions of the myth, in which Rhesus seems to have fully conformed to the pattern in that he managed to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy (or came very close to doing so) before meeting his death. Before proceeding to an examination of the myth’s variants, I shall give a summary of both the Doloneia and the Rhe- sus, with a view to bringing out similarities and differences both between them and with respect to the mythical pattern identified above.
The Doloneia
The Doloneia,whichlikeRhesus unfolds entirely in night-time, begins with a worried, sleepless Agamemnon summoning some of the most prominent Greek leaders to a nocturnal council (Iliad .–): the Trojans have advanced up to the Greek defensive moat, and are likely to attempt an attack; the Greeks must urgently take measures. On Nestor’s
* This paper is offered to Martin Cropp as a token of my gratitude and appreciation for his numerous and distinguished contributions to the study of Greek tragedy. I hope that my exploration of, inter alia, possible echoes of Rhesus in fourth-century vase-painting will be of special interest to him. 1 See further Fenik : –. vayos liapis proposal, Diomedes and Odysseus offer to reconnoitre into the Trojan camp in order to establish whether the enemy is minded to stay or to fall backintothecityofTroy.2 The two spies set out, and Athena indicates her favour by sending them a heron as omen (.–). At the same time, Hector holds council with the Trojan leaders, and offers the best Greek chariot and pair of horses as a reward to the man who will have the courage to infiltrate the Greek camp and find out whether the Greeks are preparing to leave Troy. Dolon takes up the challenge, asking as a prize nothing less than the chariot and horses of Achilles; to which Hector readily assents (.–). Dolon is intercepted by Odysseus and Diomedes, and is made to disclose not only his mission but also the location of Hector’s own bivouac as well as of that of the allied troops, including Rhesus’ Thracian units (designated as “newcomers,” νελυδες [.], although the exact time of their arrival is never specified).3 Having pried out of Dolon the information they sought, the Greeks behead and despoil him (.–). They then proceed to slaughter Rhesus and twelve of his companions, and to steal his famous horses. Apollo, who had been watching, wakes up Rhesus’ cousin Hippocoon who, apprized of the carnage, raises a clamour in the Trojan camp. Odysseus and Diomedes, now back to their own encampment, receive Nestor’s praise for their feat (.–).4
The Rhesus
The Rhesus,whichhascomedowntousaspartoftheEuripideancorpus but whose paternity is notoriously a matter of dispute,5 is modelled to
2 In epic tradition, Odysseus and Diomedes often undertake joint action: Fenik : –; Hopkinson on Ov. Met. .–; they even undergo joint punishment in Hell in Dante, Inf. .–. In the Doloneia, however, the motivation behind this particular mission of theirs is presented in a confused and disorderly manner: see Fenik : – . 3 In the Catalogue of Ships (Hom. Il. .–), a Thracian unit, led by Akamas and Peiroos, is mentioned among the Trojan allies; there is, of course, no mention of Rhesus yet. 4 The Doloneia version is essentially rehashed in Ov. Met. .–, except that Ulysses there claims (evidently as a means of lending rhetorical élan to his speech) that it was himself who slew both Dolon and Rhesus. 5 The most thorough attempt to defend Euripidean authorship is Ritchie ; impor- tant counter-arguments are offered by Fraenkel . For a good overview of the con- troversy see Burlando : –. For a survey of th-century traits, see Kuch